This libguide will help you locate information on researching controversial issues for crafting a persuasive argument. Your purpose is to convince your reader or listener of your point of view while acknowledging opposing arguments.
Here are some basic tips for selecting a topic for any research paper:
Choose a topic that interests you. If it's something you care about, you'll enjoy the research more.
Make sure that your topic is not so broad that you are overwhelmed with information.
Make sure that your topic is not so narrow that you can't find enough information.
To narrow your topic, remember the 5 w's? Who, when, where, what, why?
Check on how much information you need. For example, your professor may require 3 scholarly articles, 1 book, and 1 newspaper article. It's best to know what you need before you even start looking.
Start your research early to eliminate stress and anxiety.
Each weekly report in this database offers in-depth, non-biased coverage on a single "hot" issue. Issues covered include political and social topics, regular reports on international affairs, education, health, the environment, technology and the U.S. economy.
Gale eBooks has reference encyclopedias that you can view online, which are useful for giving you a brief overview and important aspects of your topic.
This edition is a one-stop source for information that covers all aspects of environmental health, including recent and historic natural and man made environmental health events, environmentally related health conditions and diseases, Important public health practices, environmental terms, and significant organizations and legislation. It addresses environmental health concerns with a global perspective.
Thoroughly revised and expanded, this is the definitive reference on American immigration from both historic and contemporary perspectives. It traces the scope and sweep of U.S. immigration from the earliest settlements to the present, providing a comprehensive, multidisciplinary approach to this critically important subject.
Covers topics such as dieting and popular diets, dietary concerns, nutritional basics, and the effects of a person's dietary choices on one's health. Topics are organized around the development and history of a diet, its basic principles, any key figures that influence the trend, and any public or regulatory concerns associated with the practice. Provides information across all age groups from infants to the elderly.
Provides answers on all questions related to the variety of ways by which the American people govern themselves – from their constitutions and governments to the political norms and ideals that guide their actions as citizens and leaders; to local communities, civic associations, and political associations people form for collective deliberation and action; and to the relationships they form with their elected representatives.
